Reference Sources

Prepared and maintained by the Department of Public Information (DPI), Dag Hammarskjöld Library (DHL) .Presents an overview of the various types of documents and publications issued by the Organization and guidance on how to work with them.

[Olin library also owns the print editions from 1946-2010: JX1977.A37 Y4 +; latest year in Reference]
"The Yearbook of the United Nations is the principal reference work of the United Nations and provides a detailed overview of the Organization's activities during the course of a year. All the Yearbooks, 1945 to the most recent(2005), are available online and provide citations to the documentation and include the full text of resolutions. The Yearbook helps researchers to identify relevant documentation."

A Global agenda : issues before the ... General Assembly of the United Nations : an annual publication of the United Nations Association of the United States of America.
[Olin Library Reference, JX1977.A1 I86; Latest vol.in Reference]
Excellent summary and overview of subjects before the General Assembly. Sources of information in the essays are carefully noted. Good source of statistics for speeches and papers; also useful for subject descriptors to search AccessUN or UNBISnet.

Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements. - Osmanczyk, Edmund J. , Ed. Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements
[Olin Library Reference, KZ 4968 .O84x 2003]
A good source for background information on the UN with the full texts of major protocols, conventions, and charters. Entries on wars, technical terms in international diplomacy, treaties, countries, issues, significant geography. No biographical entries.

Print Indexes

Index to Proceedings of the General Assembly: 1975 to date.
[Olin Library Reference Z 6481 .A1 U582]
Includes a subject index and an index to speeches delivered in the General Assembly
Another set of Indexes to Proceedings of the General Assembly is bound with United Nations. General Assembly. Official Records: 1946 to 1995/96, 1997/98.
[Olin Reference JX 1977 .A41 ++; currently shelved in the UN documents area, Olin B Level]. The Index is bound in the last volume for each year.

Index to Proceedings of the Security Council: 1992, 1995 to date.
[Uncataloged; shelved in the UN documents storage ranges, section 21 of the compact shelving in Olin B52]
Indexes to Proceedings of the Security Council are also bound with United Nations. Security Council. Official Records = Proces-verbaux officiels: 1946 to 1967, 1969 to 1978, 1980 to 1987. [Olin Reference JX 1977 .A42 ++; currently shelved in the UN documents area, Lower Level]. The Indexes are bound in the last volume for each year.

Another set of the print indexes coveraging 1964 to 1994 is available at Law: Indexes to Proceedings of the Security Council. [Law Library JX 1976 .S41]

United Nations Documents Index (UNDEX, UNDOC) 1950- .
Note especially the 4-volume Cumulated Index to the United Nations Documents Index, covering 1950-1962 (volumes 1-13 of the United Nations Documents Index) and shelved in Olin reference at + Z 6481 .A1 U561. The Cumulated Index must be used with volumes 1 through 13 of the United Nations Documents Index for these years which are shelved in the Olin stacks (+ Z 6481 .A1 .U56).

Guides on Special Topics

The Dag Hammarskjöld Library has published two new research guides on the documentation of the Organization: